Meeting the Princess
by cielle-chi
Summary: "Nyaa this is Ochibi-kun, and that is Ochibi-chan!" "Back off sempai-tachi, no one dares to stare at her like that." "I hat the number 1." "Shounen!" Who knew the Prince was this protective?/ OCxUNDECIDED.. please r&r/ first try of a PoT fanfiction/ on temporary hiatus: 01/12/13
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS (that will happen in my next life and in my fantasies). SO I WILL SAY IT ONCE AND FOR ALL! (If I own PoT, I would've made Ryoma-kun a girl, not a boy, and pair him with Tezuka-kun or Fuji-kun or Yukimura-kun, REALLY. But then again, reality sucks)

**ENJOY!**

Prologue

**THE ONE BESIDE HIM**

Ryoma Echizen, widely known as the Prince of Tennis, began his mission to become a professional, as a doubles player. Now, you might be thinking that our dear Prince sucks at doubles play. But hear this, we know that Ryoma plays an all-rounder style, making him able to adapt to all situations. But Ryoma Echizen's skills for doubles are limited, allowing him to play only with his twin sister.

WHAT THE HECK? With all the slang you can think of.

Why, yes, our Prince here has a twin sister who goes by the name of Ryoko Echizen, the Princess of Tennis. Ryoko is U.S.A.'s best girl player. One who defied all laws and logic by playing against male opponents, pros and cons, putting her on par with the Prince. You might ask, who is better, Ryoma or Ryoko? Ask professionals, they answer Ryoma. Ask the Echizens, they answer Ryoko. Truth be told, Ryoko is better, as she managed to score three points against the Samurai Nanjiroh, their father, once. Based on intelligence, she and Ryoma can also be considered as university students for their stellar grades but decided to stick to the grade level for their age to prevent tongues from wagging.

Months after their last tournaments, singles and doubles alike, the Echizens decides to go to Japan for a new setting, with Ryoga Echizen staying in the States to keep his name as the Demigod of the Courts. The twins' disappearance from the vast courts of the States triggered many issues, one of the reasons why Ryoga stayed. And thus, Ryoma was enrolled at Seishun Gakuen as a freshman while Ryoko was homeschooled.

Only two weeks after Ryoma's first appearance in the courts of Seishun Gakuen, or Seigaku for short, he was named as the Freshman Rookie and managed to create a large and devoted fan club. When Ryoko got wind of the news, Ryoma had a hard time shutting her up. She only stopped when he bribed her with Cherry Ponta. Ah, yes, Ponta. The famous favorite drink of our Prince, how can one forget about that?

Now, now, Ryoma and Ryoko are twins, so they have quite a lot of similarities. First off, their love for tennis, of course, that much would be obvious. Next in line is their love for cats, Ryoma for Karupin, and Ryoko, Kitomi. Third would be their love for Japanese food. And most common of all, their fair share of sweet tooth: Ryoma goes for Grape Ponta, while Ryoko goes for the Cherry flavor.

We all know about Ryoma, now, let's talk about Ryoko. Born on December 24 (of course, she and Ryoma are twins after all), resting at 150 cm in height (only 1 cm short from Ryoma), weighing 45 kg, Ryoko's data is the same as Ryoma's, differentiating only in several areas. Like Ryoma, her dominant hand is left, an all-rounder player, ambidextrous as well. Now, they really are twins. Ryoko's doubles skills are not limited like her twin brother. She can play with whoever wants to be her pair, as long as their attitudes match. She is also quite the acrobat in the courts, like Eiji Kikumaru of Seigaku. Only that her skills are more polished and when seen doing acrobat play, she seems to be dancing around the courts, a reason why she is called the Golden Dancer.

In terms of attitude, Ryoma is known as a cocky and arrogant player, yet his skills in tennis are proof to his words. Ryoko, on the other hand, is kind and humble, always starting with a greeting. Ryoma is cold and antisocial, and Ryoko is very much the same, remove the cold part, in short, she's shy. Just the fact that Ryoko smiles while Ryoma smirks. You'll know more about her in due time. But everyone who knows the twins know that they are inseparable and protective of each other; Ryoma keeps boys that he doesn't like away from Ryoko, and Ryoko keeps annoying girls away her brother.

No one in Seigaku knows about Ryoko, well, no one except for the Tennis Team Coach, Sumire Ryuuzaki. And this will remain a secret, until one of them uncovers it.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**OCHIBI-KUN AND OCHIBI-CHAN**

-BONK!-

A ball hit the glass window in the room of the youngest and lone girl of the Echizen siblings. She slowly sat up her bed as her Himalayan cat, Kitomi, nudged her head in her arm. Ryoko Echizen smiled.

-BONK!-

"Oi, Shoujou! Come down and have a match with your amazing father!" A voice called out to her. She frowned. Leave it to her oyaji to ruin her nice morning. Ryoko is a morning person, unlike her brother who sleeps almost anywhere. Well, not that Ryoko denies her unbelievable skill to sleep anywhere too.

-BONK!-

"Shoujou!" There goes her father again.

"Matte ne, oyaji!" She replied. What else could do her wonderful morning but a tennis match in the temple grounds' court? Now, what could be better? Ryoko immediately brushed her long emerald tinted black hair, which fell to her mid-thighs, in a high ponytail and set it under her blue cap.

Ryoko made it to the court. She spotted her father doing basic warm ups. He turned to her.

"Ohayou, where's Ryoma?" She asked.

"Shounen's gone out already, he's got early morning practice in the club courts," her father answered, snickering as he served the neon ball. "You should've seen his face when he woke up!"

"Oyaji," Ryoko muttered, returning the ball in a fast pace. "You know he never was a morning person."

"Well, it's nice teasing him. But you know that your aniki has worse ways on waking Shounen up," Nanjiroh countered. The rally continued with them snickering (Nanjiroh) and giggling (Ryoko) about Ryoma's ridiculous habits in the morning. The match was cut short by Rinko, calling them for breakfast, with the score 3-1, Nanjiroh's lead. Apparently, Ryoma skipped breakfast so he wouldn't be late for morning practice.

"Ah, Ryoko-chan, you're home tutor called awhile ago," Rinko said, smiling. Ryoko bit her lower lip.

"What did she say? Did I fail everything?" Ryoko muttered nervously.

"No! You silly girl, you passed everything, that's why she called to end all your homeschooling. And I was wondering if you wanted to attend Seigaku with Ryoma-kun. I already enrolled you, you see." She smiled at her daughter.

"Of course, kaa-san, it would be fun to get to see Ryoma every time." Ryoko smiled at her mother. Nanako, the twins' cousin came out of the kitchen.

"Ah, Ryoko-san," Nanako said. "Do you mind giving your brother his bento? He forgot it in his rush this morning. And his teammates asked Rinko-baa-san and I to cook for them, I added some if you decide to eat with them."

"Ah, that's alright Nanako-nee. I have to go to the sports shop too, I need to buy a grip tape and new tennis gears," Ryoko replied as she ate her French toast. "And kaa-san, can you not forget to cook Japanese breakfast? You know Ryoma and I never liked Western food."

"*Sigh* Next time Ryoko-chan. Now, finish your breakfast and go and take your bath," Rinko told her daughter. "Ryoma-kun and his team are in the tennis club courts, so you might as well bring your tennis racket."

"Hai," With that, Ryoko went to take a bath. When she was done, she brushed her long hair and decided to set it in two low ponytails and set her blue cap. She wore her favorite light blue shirt, tight enough to show her femininity and loose enough to enable her to move freely. She also wore a white tennis skirt (the one with the short underneath) and her favorite white and blue roller skates. She didn't forget to bring her Fila tennis shoes and a change of clothes, in case of emergency.

With one final scratch behind Kitomi's ear, she headed for the door, her tennis bag in her back and her brother's bento in hand.

"I'm going!" She exclaimed.

"Have a safe trip!" Her mother and cousin replied.

Clear blue skies, fluffy white clouds, vivid green trees, what a beautiful morning. A nice weather accompanied by a nice attitude in the morning. Ryoko skated her way to the sports shop, her hair flying elegantly behind her.

She smiled as she spotted the shop. She entered in her skates as she has great balance, found and bought her grip tape and went to the clothing store for her new tennis gears. After that, she went to the central park to see the directions on the way to the tennis club. Apparently, the courts where near Seigaku. With those in mind, she headed for her destination.

-BONK BONK-

-BONK BONK-

The sound of bouncing tennis balls echoed in the large area. Tennis players scattered here and there. Occupying four courts were a group of junior high school students.

"Oi *pant* Echizen! Slow down will you!" Horio Satoshi, the loudmouthed freshman, complained. "And to think you're *pant* still using your *pant* right hand."

"And to think that you brag about your 'two years of tennis experience'," Echizen Ryoma, our dear Prince of Tennis, muttered. "If she met you, she'll most likely yell at you for being such a bragger."

"Don't be a brat, brat," Momoshiro Takeshi, affectionately called Momo-chan, the powerhouse of the regulars, exclaimed. "And anyway, who's this 'she'?"

"'She'?" Kikumaru Eiji, the redheaded acrobat, excitedly said. "Ochibi has a girlfriend?"

"No, I am not her girlfriend," a small feminine voice muttered from behind Ryoma.

Every single person occupying the four reserved courts turned to her. A young girl, the age of Ryoma, with emerald tinted locks, bound by two ponytails, that cascaded to her mid thighs, wearing a blue cap, was there. No one talked for a full minute. That is until, Tezuka Kunimitsu, the stoic captain of the team, decided to break the silence.

"Please leave, you are disrupting practice," he told the young girl.

"Ah, I understand, it seems you do not want your lunch," she muttered. "Oh well, I shall have it on my own."

With that said, she turned around, only to be stopped by a hand, belonging to the Prince.

"Wait, what are you doing here Ryoko?" he asked.

"I came here to give you this," she showed him the bento in her right hand. "To buy a grip tape and new clothes, and to practice with you. I was getting tired of playing with Oyaji."

"Echizen-kun, would you mind introducing your companion?" Fuji Syuusuke, the genius, asked. The data man of the group, Inui Sadaharu, nodded in agreement.

"Fine, Ryoko, remove your cap," Ryoma ordered. The regulars were shocked that Ryoma had a teasing tone. When the said girl didn't move, he tried again. "_Shoujou_."

"Okay, no need to call me that, _Shounen_," And she removed the blue cap. Everyone (save for Tezuka and Fuji) gaped at the sight. The young lady looked like Echizen Ryoma! "Echizen Ryoko, Ryoma's younger twin sister, nice to meet you."

To say Fuji Syuusuke was surprised would be an understatement. The tensai was shocked. All of them were! Well, if you consider the slight widening of the eyes of their stoic captain, I'd say he was shocked as well. Who knew that the girl version of their Freshman Rookie would look this good?

"Senpai-tachi, back off," Ryoma hissed. "No one dares to stare at my sister the way you are staring at her now."

"Ah! We got another Ochibi! Wait, this is Ochibi-kun!" Eiji pointed to Ryoma, "And this is Ochibi-chan!" he pointed at Ryoko. Fuji noticed the tennis bag in her back.

"You play tennis, Echizen-chan?" he asked.

"Yes, tennis is practically my life," she timidly answered. "And please, feel free to call me Ryoko. And I don't seem to know you guys, only Ryoma."

"Ah, yes. Of course, I'm Fuji Syuusuke, call me Syuusuke," he smiled an 'angelic' smile. Ryoko nodded. Then he pointed to the tall glasses brunette, "Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain, and Oishi Shuichiro, the vice captain," the one with the egghead nodded politely, "Inui Sadaharu, Kawamura Takashi, Kaido Kaoru, and Momoshiro Takeshi."

"Yo!" Momoshiro nodded at her.

"Nice to meet you all, Ryoma here told me lots about you," Ryoko said.

"Come on, let's eat," Ryoma dragged Ryoko towards the shades.

"Shounen-kun..." Ryoko muttered.

"Don't call me that Shoujou-chan."

"Okay then, Chibisuke."

"You're smaller than I am."

"Damn, I hate the number 1."

"Hoi? Why?" Eiji asked.

"She's one centimeter shorter than me," Ryoma answered, smirking.

"At least I'm better than you,"

_We never thought that Echizen has a playful side,_ the regulars thought at the same time as the twins continued arguing.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**SHE'S DIFFERENT BUT THE SAME**

"Ryoko," Ryoma whispered in her ear.

"What?" Ryoko hissed.

"Play with me," he whispered again. The girl shivered at the contact of her brother's warm breath in her skin.

The Seigaku regulars, together with the freshmen trio and Ryoko, finished their lunch that was prepared by Rinko. They were currently resting under a cool and shady tree. Ryoma took the liberty of leaning his head on his twin's shoulder as the latter played with the former's fingers.

"Ryoma," Ryoko said, loud enough for the rest to hear. "No offence, but you know I'm not into incest. Incest is one thing, but twincest is definitely another. I didn't know you swing that way, Shounen."

The regulars snickered (Eiji and Momoshiro), blushed (Oishi and Taka), hissed (Kaidoh), muttered "ii data" (Inui), smiled (Fuji) and remained stoic (Tezuka). They were starting to get used to the twins' bickerings. They learned throughout lunch that Ryoma likes to tease his sister to no end. It turns out that Ryoma had two other siblings. Ryoko, his twin sister, and Ryoga, their older half-brother. Ryoma is the more playful one between the twins. A fact that his sempais didn't and couldn't believe.

Ryoko also revealed that Ryoma had a really sadistic sense of humor at times. The regulars, save for Tezuka and Fuji, visibly shivered as Ryoma gave a really warm smile. Ryoko smiled at her brother's antics. All of a sudden, a bulb lighted on her head.

"Doubles?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Ryoma muttered. "Why not? It's been a while since I played with you."

"You speak like you don't play with me at all," Ryoko deadpanned. The others sweatdropped at her bluntness.

"Ara? Echizen and doubles?" Momo said. "That won't work. He sucks at doubles."

"Eh?" Ryoko was confused. Then she remembered. "Ah, his play isn't probably suited with yours. Ryoma is definitely good in doubles you know?"

"According to my data," Inui started. "There is only 13.87% that Echizen knows how to play doubles. 54% says he doesn't play at all."

Ryoma scoffed. "Che, mada mada dane sempai-tachi."

Ryoko was about to retort when Eiji entered the conversation.

"Then play with us, Ochibi-kun, Ochibi-chan."

The girl visibly twitched when she heard the redhead call her 'short'. Like Ryoma, she doesn't like people calling her short. Even if she was. Well, it was actually one of her adorable assets. Feminine and petite. Cute is the word needed. Her height is one sensitive topic that no one dares to approach. But since she knew that Eiji just met her today, she let it pass. And also, based on her brother's expression, he was used to it.

'I better get used to it too,' Ryoko thought. 'Since I'll be with them for the rest of the year.' She sighed quietly.

"Fine," Ryoma answered the hyper-active's challenge.

Ryoko smirked. "But, don't cry if you lose."

The regulars, sans Ryoma and Tezuka thought, 'Another cocky one.' And so, the two pairs proceeded to a vacant court. Horio acting as the referee, boasting about hi 'two years of tennis experience' (to which Ryoko threw a fast ball that passed just an inch away from his face, muttering something about 'too confident', and 'should've been the face'). Both pairs approached the net.

"Which?" Oishi asked.

"Smooth," Ryoma and Ryoko said in unison. The racket fell on the smooth side.

"Service," the twins muttered as they went to their places.

"End," the Golden Pair replied.

"One set match, Oishi-Kikumaru pair vs. Echizen-Echizen pair. Echizen Ryoko to serve."

Ryoko got into position. Ryoma smirked as he recognized it. It was the serve that she completed just a week ago and tested it against their father who can't even return it. She completed and tested it to eliminate all errors.

And so, the remaining regulars beside the court watched as she threw the ball up and stared as she hit it fast that they thought they were imagining things, as her arm seemed to move in a blur. The next thing the Golden Pair knew, the ball was already in their court accompanied by a loud SMACK.

"15-love!"

"Uwaaah! Ochibi-chan's so mean!" Eiji complained. "I've got one of the best eyes in school yet I didn't see anything!"

"Congratulations sempai-tachi," Ryoma smirked. "You're one of the few people to witness and experience the recently completed Disappearing Serve."

Ryoko served again, but this time, it was a perfected Twist Serve. Oishi attempted to return it, but his racket was knocked out of his hands. Oishi gaped at the strength and spin applied to the ball.

With the other Regulars.

"Ii data," Inui muttered as he started a new page on Ryoko's information. "That twist serve is a perfected one, better and stronger than Echizen-kun's. Going up to 187 kph. And that Disappearing Serve, I gunned it at 295 kph."

"She is able to control the spin of her balls," Fuji said, smiling widely. "Saa... I would like to play her soon."

Back at the Game.

"Ryoko," Ryoma almost whined. "Let me play too."

"Fine," Ryoko huffed, obviously annoyed at her brother. "Make sure you do well."

Ryoko threw the ball and served. An ordinary serve. Eiji returned it before it passed him. Ryoma, seemingly happy that he would be able to play, rushed to the front line to receive the ball. What he didn't expect was the hair that slapped his face as Ryoko ran and did a flip as she returned it. Ryoma glared.

"You said you will let me play," he nearly whined.

"Ryoma, you will play," she scoffed. "Don't be a baby. I always take the front line right?"

"But..."

"No," Ryoko said as she served again. Then dashed to the front line. She easily returned an acrobatic shot by Eiji, which was an accidental lob. Oishi smashed it back to the twins' court. Ryoma noticed that her eyes turned into slits and returned to normal as he returned the smash with a drop shot.

"30-love!"

Ryoko took the ball and served another Twist Serve. Though this time, it was the same level as Ryoma's. Eiji caught it with his flexible body and returned. Ryoko grinned as she did a flip and returned it fast that the others barely saw the ball enter the courts.

"40-love. Match point to Echizen!"

"Nyaa?" Eiji was confused. He was startled that Ryoko could do acrobatics like him. "Ochibi-chan is an acrobatic player?"

Ryoko served again before running to the front line. She smirked at Eiji as they rallied on different sides of the court. "Yep. And a dancer."

"A reason why she is called the 'Golden Dancer' back in the States," Ryoma added as his twin glared.

"'Golden Dancer'?" Eiji and Oishi mused. Ryoma felt his twin's glare intensify at his little slipping.

20 minutes into the game, with the score of 5-4, the twins' lead.

The Golden Pair was confused. They weren't the only ones.

The rest of the regulars and the other watchers were too. They noticed that whatever shot Eiji and Oishi were going to use, Ryoko managed to foresee them and reached the receiving place before the ball even cross and land in the court. Thus, she returns them in an easy pace.

Momo scowled. 'What's happening?' he thought to himself. 'She seems to know where Eiji-sempai and Oishi-fukubuchou are aiming.'

"What's going on?" Inui muttered. His hand scribbling quickly on his notebook.

"Inui?" asked Tezuka.

"Echizen-chan..." started Inui. "It's like she can predict the future, being able to know where Oishi and Eiji are going to move and what shot they're going to use."

Ryoma smirked at the court. Ryoko saw him.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, brother," she glowered. With a Disappearing Serve, she ended the match, 6-4, with the twins as the winners.

"Sugoi nee~" Eiji exclaimed as he scampered towards the two unsuspecting twins. "I never thought that Ochibi-kun is great in doubles. And Ochibi-chan is an acrobatic player too nyaa~"

"And how she predicts the ball's landing place," Oishi said, greatly amused by the girl.

Everyone turned towards Ryoma who coughed 'politely'.

"Rather than 'predicting the future' sempai-tachi," he started, smirking. "You can call it 'Perception', 'Insight' or 'Wisdom'. That's Ryoko's ability. She's extremely observant. She notices things that no one else does, even when we were still younger. She drives many of our doubles opponents crazy with this. Any slight movement, she can notice. She can read a person easily and with this, she knows immediately what the shot is, and where it will land."

"But that's impossible!" Eiji exclaimed from Ryoko's shoulder, causing her to grimace at the loud voice.

"Well, you have Motion Vision right, sempai?" Ryoma muttered with a grin. "Ryoko's like that, only more polished. And if I can adapt to plays and use disadvantages to my advantage, Ryoko can imitate, adapt and analyze every move, giving her the upperhand."

"That's amazing!"

Tezuka was about to speak when he was interrupted by their coach.

"Oy minna!"

"Ryuuzaki-sensei!"

"Sumire-baa-chan!" Ryoko all but yelled.

"Aa, Ryoko, fancy seeing you here," Ryuuzaki-sensei grinned at her.


End file.
